Nokia N9 coming later this year with MeeGo 1.2, 3.9-inch AMOLED display

Hot on the heels of a leak that revealed the first Nokia N9 press images, the MeeGo-powered smartphone has been made official by the folks in Finland. Coming later this year, the N9 features a 3.9-inch 854x480 curved AMOLED display made of Gorilla Glass, 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 OMAP 3630 processor, PowerVR SGX530 graphics, 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera with dual LED flash and 720p video capture, a front-facing camera, 1GB RAM, 16 or 64GB of storage, NFC, 14.4Mbps HSDPA, pentaband (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100) WCDMA, quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900) GSM, microSIM, and a 1450mAh battery. The N9 will also be available in three different colors: black, cyan, and magenta.

On the software side of things, the N9 will be loaded up with MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan. Since there aren't any physical keys to navigate around the OS, N9 owners will be doing a lot of swiping and tapping to get around the device. Once you're past the MeeGo lock screen, you'll be met with three different home screens: one for open apps, one for events/notifications, and one that lists all of the apps installed on the device. Anytime you want to return home, you just need to swipe from the edge of the display. Users can also expect "wide HTML5 support," Nokia Maps with free turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation, Ovi Store and Music, Facebook, Twitter, and Angry Birds Magic. You can check out a short clip of the N9 in action below, followed by the full press release.

Oh, and about that device formerly known as the N9. According to The Nokia Blog, it'll now be known as the N950 and will only be made available to developers in limited numbers. That means that regular Joe Schmoes like you and I will likely never get our hands on one. Bummer.

Nokia also touched a bit on Symbian today, explaining that beginning in July it'll begin shipping the N8, E7, C7, and C6-01 with Symbian Anna preinstalled. Current owners of the handsets can expect an update to Symbian Anna by the end of August. Nokia's commitment to Symbian doesn't end there, though, as the firm also plans to bring 10 new Symbian-powered smartphones to market in the next 12 months.

Now that we've finally gotten a good look at the N9 and what kind of specs it's packing, I have to admit that it looks like a pretty sexy piece of hardware. Its unibody build and buttonless face give it a really clean look (even if it is plastic), and the fact that it's a pentaband device means that the N9 will work with both AT&T and T-Mobile 3G. There's no word on when the N9 will be available beyond the "later this year" window or how much the device is going to cost, but Nokia promises that more will be revealed as we get closer to launch. What do you all think of Nokia's first MeeGo smartphone? Does it get you excited for the company's Windows Phone 7 hardware that'll be coming later in 2011 or do you wish that Nokia would give MeeGo a little more love before moving on to a different platform?

The Nokia N9: a unique all-screen smartphonePublished June 21, 2011Singapore - Nokia today announced the Nokia N9, built for people who appreciate a stunning blend of design and the latest smartphone technology. To learn more about the design of the Nokia N9 visit: http://swipe.nokia.com

One swipe and you're home

The Nokia N9 introduces an innovative new design where the home key is replaced by a simple gesture: a swipe. Whenever you're in an application, swiping from the edge of the display takes you home.

The three home views of the user interface are designed to give fast access to the most important things people do with a phone: using apps, staying up to date with notifications and social networks, and switching between activities.

The industrial design of the Nokia N9 is an example of extreme product making and craft. The body is precision-machined from a single piece of polycarbonate and flows seamlessly into beautiful curved glass. The laminated deep black display means that the user interface just floats on the surface of the product.

The Nokia N9 also packs the latest in camera, navigation and audio technology for a great all-round experience.

"With the Nokia N9, we wanted to design a better way to use a phone. To do this we innovated in the design of the hardware and software together. We reinvented the home key with a simple gesture: a swipe from the edge of the screen. The experience sets a new bar for how natural technology can feel," said Marko Ahtisaari, Nokia's head of Design. "And this is just the beginning. The details that make the Nokia N9 unique - the industrial design, the all-screen user experience, and the expressive Qt framework for developers - will evolve in future Nokia products."

Innovative all-screen design

With no need for a home key, the all-screen Nokia N9 makes more room for apps to shine. The 3.9-inch AMOLED screen is made from scratch-resistant curved glass. The polycarbonate body enables superior antenna performance. This means better reception, better voice quality and fewer dropped calls.

Camera, maps and multimedia

The 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor, wide-angle lens, HD-quality video capture and large lens aperture enable great camera performance even in lowlighting conditions. This makes the Nokia N9 one of the best camera-phones ever produced.

The Nokia N9 features free turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation with voice guidance in Maps. With the new dedicated Drive app, you can get in your car and start navigating to your destination right away.

You can watch videos in true 16:9 widescreen format. And because the Nokia N9 is also the world's first smartphone with Dolby® Digital Plus decoding and Dolby Headphone post-processing technology, you get a surround sound experience with any set of headphones.

Touch just got better

Fitted with the latest in wireless technology, Near Field Communication (NFC), the Nokia N9 allows you to easily share images and videos between devices by touching them together. Pair it with Bluetooth accessories like the new NFC-enabled Nokia Play 360° wireless music speaker only once, and you get a great surround sound music experience with just a tap.

Colors and Memory

The Nokia N9 will be available in three colors - black, cyan, and magenta with storage options to accommodate plenty of content: 16GB and 64GB. The Nokia N9 is scheduled to be in stores later this year, with availability and local pricing to be announced closer to the sales start.

- Launches three new Series 40 mobile phones with advanced browser and maps- Pinpoints July as start date for Symbian Anna delivery- Plans up to 10 new Symbian smartphones over next 12 months- Unveils Nokia N9 smartphone- Announces continued support for Qt as part of 'next billion' strategy

Singapore - Today, at an event webcast around the world, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop demonstrated how the company is making significant progress on the new strategy it laid out earlier this year. From smartphones to mobile phones, from services to user interface design, and from improved device experiences to developer tools, Nokia outlined concrete actions for growth and taking leadership across the board.

"Earlier this year, we outlined a comprehensive strategy to change our course," said Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia. "Innovation is at the heart of our strategy, and today we took important steps to demonstrate a new pace of innovation at Nokia. It's the beginning of a new era for Nokia."

In mobile phones, Nokia introduced three new affordable devices - the Nokia C2-02, Nokia C2-03 and Nokia C2-06. The portfolio includes dual and single SIM options, and all three models offer a new, advanced web and maps experience for Series 40 phone users, as well as the choice of a touch screen or a keypad.

Nokia also restated its commitment to Symbian. This July, Nokia will start shipping Nokia N8s, E7s, C7s and C6-01s with the new Symbian Anna software update, which includes a number of user experience improvements. By the end of August, existing owners of these devices can also download Symbian Anna. And over the next 12 months Nokia plans to bring up to 10 new Symbian-based smartphones to market.

Nokia also revealed its latest smartphone: the Nokia N9, an all-screen device with three home views and a new user interface navigated through a simple swipe of the finger. The Nokia N9 comes in a polycarbonate design that enables superior antenna performance for better reception, better voice quality and fewer dropped calls; and a smarter all-round experience with NFC for sharing and pairing to accessories. The Nokia N9 will drive new innovation in the consumer experience, and inspire developers to build more powerful Qt applications.

The Qt framework is at the core of Nokia's existing smartphone product line, and today there are more than 100 million Nokia Qt devices worldwide. Ovi Store consumers are downloading an increasing number of Qt applications, including in high-growth markets like Asia-Pacific. Tapping into this trend, Nokia will make Qt core to building applications that connect the next billion users to the internet. For Qt developers, this will mean a dramatic increase in reach and opportunity during the coming years.

About Nokia

Nokia is committed to connecting people to what matters to them by combining advanced mobile technology with personalized services. More than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia, from our most affordable voice-optimized mobile phones to advanced Internet-connected smartphones sold in virtually every market in the world. Through Ovi (www.ovi.com), people also enjoy access to maps and navigation on mobile, a rapidly expanding applications store, a growing catalog of digital music, free email and more. Nokia's NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, and Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the leading providers of telecommunications infrastructure hardware, software and professional services globally.

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